The ticking of clocks, the lighting of lamps and the raising of glasses.....

For a good while, we've toyed with the idea of making some hand-crafted pieces for sale. We've made some items for family and some for ourselves, and finally we've taken the plunge. Booking a place back in August for a Christmas Craft Fair in Perthshire this weekend gave us the push we needed and the last few months have seen full production! Along with the items themselves, there have been all the little things we didn't originally consider, like hand-stamped gift tags, bags and a host of other small items which all add up.

The ticking of clocks.....

...with some made from pieces of driftwood collected over a period of years on sea kayak and walking trips....

                                        Others made from pieces of tree bark found in odd places.....

...and some made from oak whisky cask staves.  We get the staves from a cooperage in Speyside; they start out black, wet and dirty, needing quite a bit of work to bring back the character of the oak wood.  It's a marvellous material to work with though; every cut or hole made in the wood releases a beautiful whisky aroma!  :o)

                                Whisky cask staves also go towards the lighting of lamps........

                      Tealight holders of various sizes and configurations; some straightforward.....

                                   ....others requiring a bit of thought to get the balance right.

                                            The barrel chines can sometimes come in useful!.....

...and there are even some unusual woods - this oak stave seems not to have been used for whisky at all; it's very blonde and had an aroma of (perhaps) cognac.


Driftwood used here too.....

                                                A Gorse root bleached by sea and wind.....

                                            ...and a piece of trunk beautifully polished by the sea.


                   For the whisky drinker, the barrel staves can be put to a very satisfying use.......

                                                            .....whether for oneself.....

                                                  .......or to raise a glass with friends.


We've also got some prints and greeting cards featuring images which have appeared on the blog, so a bit of a variety of items. It's hard to know whether the things we've made will be good enough to sell, but unless we dip our toes in the water, we'll not know either way  :o)

There's a distinct possibility that we'll sell very little, in which case all our family's Christmas presents are sorted for several years to come!